Southeastern Community College, in partnership with Whiteville City Schools and Columbus County Schools, hosted the Spring Advisory Council Meeting on Feb. 27. SCC Dean of Institutional Effectiveness Dr. Natalie Hinson said the twice annual event is a meeting space for industry partners, employers and SCC instructors to network and address issues in the workforce. 

“We invited industry partners from 19 different sectors,” Hinson said. “They came to provide feedback on what’s working well, what needs improvement, and where more attention is needed, all to ensure our students are fully prepared for employment after graduating from Southeastern. Our primary focus is on developing the employability skills that businesses and industries need.” 

The advisory council meeting saw employers from agribusiness, teacher prep, early childhood education, electrical engineering, electrical lineman, audio and video production, construction, automotive, HVAC-R, welding, cosmetology, nursing and public safety sectors. SCC instructors heard feedback about general industry issues and what instructors can do to better prepare students for a job.  

Hinson was impressed with the event turnout, and she was pleased to see employers and instructors networking during dinner in Nesmith Student Center. After welcome addresses from local school systems CTE directors Susan Watson and Tom McLam, SCC Director of Apprenticeships Denise Young and SCC Executive Vice President Dr. Sylvia Cox, employers and instructors dispersed across campus for individual breakout sessions.  

“They had some really good in-depth conversations about program improvement and how we can meet their needs,” Hinson said. “We’ve had some really strong relationships and connections built, especially in our healthcare programs, in creating those pipelines for workforce development. With these advisory council meetings, it helps to see a lot of that relationship-building come to light.” 

Hinson explained the advisory council meetings are held twice a year so that employers can provide feedback at the fall meeting, SCC instructors can address that feedback during class time and employers come back to the spring meeting with feedback on what is working and what isn’t. She said this cycle provides growing opportunities at each meeting so that employer needs are continuously addressed.  

“As Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, I help to coordinate advisory council meetings and make sure they stay on track,” Hinson said. “We have all the key players in place, but it is a huge team effort, especially from our instructors during breakout sessions. I get to watch the beauty of the event unfold each time.”

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